Arkansas Best Team in SEC Under Musselman

When it comes to postseason success, no other basketball program replicates recent success of Hogs

Author:
Jacob Davis
Updated:
Sep 13, 2023 4:55 PM EDT
Original:
Sep 13, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – When it comes to college basketball in the SEC there’s not many that do it like the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Even when they were mediocre from 2002-19, if the Hogs showed any reason for hope, their fans packed Bud Walton Arena. Since the arrival of Eric Musselman in April 2019, Arkansas continues to be seen in a light similar to the 1970s-1990s teams on the national landscape.

With a 10th place finish following an up and down conference season, the Hogs simply couldn’t find what it took to string together a huge winning streak last year. Most felt like Arkansas did less with more and were a disappointment. Luckily, despite injuries, they made the NCAA Tournament and shocked No. 1 seed Kansas for a third consecutive Sweet Sixteen berth.

All the negative energy from January-March was obliterated once the Razorbacks took down the Jayhawks. Who cares if they finished in the lower half of the conference? It’s cool to have regular season hardware, but nobody remembers conference champions. What folks do remember is how far teams make it in March.

Since the arrival of Eric Musselman, the Hogs have won more games than any other program in the SEC. With the help of Ben Brandon, here’s the Hogs comparison to every other member.

One of the shocking stats is how Ole Miss and South Carolina have a terrible basketball history with 13 wins combined in 113+ seasons.

Kentucky is the only program that’s sniffed the amount of success Arkansas has recently. They’ve won nine NCAA games in the past seven years but have not reached the second weekend since an Elite Eight appearance in 2019.

A budding rivalry between the Hogs and Alabama will continue to grow in hate. Nate Oats and Musselman currently battle not only on the hardwood but also on the recruiting trail. But when it comes to NCAA Tournament success, the Hogs have a 8-4 advantage on the Crimson Tide in the time span.

Arkansas has the chance to continue to pile up tournament victories while every other school falls in line behind. With the work Musselman has done in the portal bringing in high scoring and defensive driving guards at his disposal, that very well could happen.

Guards win during March and he has plenty to go around this coming season. There's also the added bonus of a massive increase in experience on this season's Razorback team. It just might be enough to tip the scales in the Hogs' favor for a long time.